5 Colorado Avalanche Prospects That Can Make The Jump In 2015

1 of 6

There are plenty of Colorado Avalanche prospects in the system right now who would probably all like to make the NHL team as soon as possible. Of course it is not quite that easy. Avalanche prospects, as well as those of any other team, often have to fight experienced veterans for roster spots. And then of course, there are their fellow prospects.

More from Mile High Sticking

Nevertheless, there are some that could very well make the jump in the upcoming season and become full-time Avalanche players. Theoretically, there would not be many teams in the league that offer a better chance for rookies to make the jump than the Avalanche. Practically, however, the situation may turn out to be slightly different.

As analyzed in our big roster outlook, the Colorado Avalanche, well, messed up when they signed some below-average defensemen to fairly big — and even worse — one-way contracts. I don’t want to call out any names, but, er, Brad Stuart, Nick Holden, Nate Guenin. According to generalfanager.com, those three players have a combined salary cap hit of $6.05M — no matter what league they play in. Add to that the one-way contracts of Marc-Andre Cliche and Patrick Bordeleau and you’ve got your prospects a little problem.